


Broken Noses and Coloring Lines

by Avengers_Whore



Series: A Little Color Called Life [11]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Bucky Barnes, Sick Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 16:22:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21377020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avengers_Whore/pseuds/Avengers_Whore
Summary: He looked up and came face-to-face with icy-blue eyes. The alpha had a white coat on, meaning he was a doctor.“I-I am so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Tony stuttered, his face turning red the longer he looked at this alpha. The man smiled slightly and handed over some of the books before helping the omega up.“Not a problem, I was too busy looking at my phone,” the doctor told him. “Dr. Stephen Strange.”
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Loki/Tony Stark
Series: A Little Color Called Life [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1481303
Comments: 14
Kudos: 536





	Broken Noses and Coloring Lines

“Hello, we’re looking for an update on Steven Barnes,” Loki murmured as he went up to the front desk, smiling at the young beta there. The man nodded his head with a smile and turned to his computer.

“Can I ask your relation to the patient?”

“I’m his son-in-law. His son and mate are right there,” the alpha told him, looking over his shoulder at Tony and Bucky, Morgan sitting quietly by their feet with her vest on. The receptionist nodded his head again and looked back at the computer.

“Mr. Barnes came in unresponsive and is currently being looked at by Dr. Cho and her colleagues. I will let Dr. Cho know you’re here,” he told the alpha with a smile. Loki nodded his head and thanked the beta before walking over to Bucky and Tony.

“I am going to call Harley, I’m sure neither of you even thought of it,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to Tony’s cheek before taking his cellphone and walking outside. Tony watched him go before leaning his head on his father’s shoulder, sniffling softly.

They sat in the waiting room for awhile, Loki coming back and sitting next to them after calling Harley. Harley showed up nearly an hour after that, dressed in a three-piece suit and his phone in his hand. He looked up and hurried over to his family.

“Harley,” Tony whimpered, getting up and letting himself be wrapped up in his older brother’s arms. The alpha rumbled soothingly and rubbed the younger’s back.

“It’ll be okay, Tones,” Harley told him, kissing the top of his head. He looked over at Bucky. “I don’t care what it takes, how much money it costs, he will get the best care, best doctors, best everything.”

“Thanks, Harls,” Bucky murmured, smiling weakly. The whole family looked up when an alpha woman came into the waiting room. She zeroed in on the family and walked over.

“I assume you are the Barnes family. I’m Helen Cho, Steven’s doctor,” Dr. Cho explained, her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll explain everything on the way to Steven’s room.”

The group followed her out of the waiting room, Bucky right on her heels.

“Mr. Barnes, you are aware that your mate’s last prescription was Dr. Erskine’s?” Dr. Cho asked, glancing back at the other alpha.

Bucky nodded his head.

“Why is he not taking this medicine anymore?”

“After Dr. Erskine died last year, the price for that medicine skyrocketed. Even with our insurance, we couldn’t afford it anymore so we went to his old doctor and went back to his old prescriptions,” the brunet alpha explained, running a hand through his hair.

“Dad, what? You know money isn’t a problem,” Harley protested, his brow furrowed as he looked at the older alpha. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“It wasn’t your problem to worry about, Harley.”

“Well, Dr. Erskine’s medicine was working miracles on your mate, Mr. Barnes. We believe his body is starting to shut down,” the alpha woman informed them, stopping outside of a room. “I don’t think he’s able to handle the shock of being incredibly healthy for so long and then going back to being sickly.”

“Has he? Has mama been sick lately?” Tony asked with wide eyes, looking at Bucky.

“Yeah. He just got over the flu last week but he’s been sick off and on for the last few months,” Bucky murmured, looking down. “We just- We didn’t know what to do.”

“What are our options?” Harley asked. “Can we give him the other medicine?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think it would make a difference,” Dr. Cho told him. “However, with Mr. Barnes’s permission, I’d like to start administering an experimental drug of my own making.”

“Yeah, yes, whatever you need to do. Whatever will help him,” Bucky told her without hesitation. Dr. Cho nodded her head and went into the room after calling for a nurse to assist her. The family waited outside for a few moments before Dr. Cho came back out and told them that they could go in.

“We’ll administer the medicine every 12 hours for the next few days, see if he responds to it or not,” the alpha woman told them. Everyone nodded their heads and went inside, gathering around the pale omega still asleep in the hospital bed.

Tony whined and turned to hide in Loki’s chest, tears falling down his cheeks. Loki rumbled softly and wrapped his arms around his mate protectively, trying to comfort the distressed omega.

-

Tony sighed softly as he walked down the halls of the hospital, carrying coloring books and a sketchbook against his chest. There were pencils and crayons in the bag he had hanging off of his elbow, making him feel like a pup again.

He squeaked when he suddenly ran into someone, falling to the ground with a grunt. All of the books went crashing to the ground and he sighed softly, murmuring an apology as he started collecting the books.

“Here, let me help you,” someone said and the smell of unfamiliar alpha reached Tony’s nose. He couldn’t help breathing in. He’d smelled plenty of alphas in his life and liked the scent of very few of them - his father, his brother, Loki. But this one...he smelled amazing. He smelled like sharp, fresh mint and sandalwood.

He looked up and came face-to-face with icy-blue eyes. The alpha had a white coat on, meaning he was a doctor.

“I-I am so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Tony stuttered, his face turning red the longer he looked at this alpha. The man smiled slightly and handed over some of the books before helping the omega up.

“Not a problem, I was too busy looking at my phone,” the doctor told him. “Dr. Stephen Strange.”

“Tony Barnes,” the omega replied with a smile, shaking the alpha’s hand when it was offered. “Very nice to meet you, Dr. Strange.”

“Stephen, please,” Stephen insisted with a smile, chuckling softly. The pager on his hip went off and he sighed softly, looking at the device. “And I have to go. They’re looking for me in neurology.”

“Neurology? Well you better get going then, that sounds serious,” Tony told him with a smile. The doctor smiled back and nodded his head before continuing on down the hall. The omega watched him go before heading to his mama’s room.

The brunet purred quietly when he entered the room. His mama had been in the hospital for a few weeks now. Sometimes he’d be awake and sometimes he was out like a light. This time the blond was awake and speaking quietly to Bucky, looking just as exhausted as he always did.

The blond was still hooked up to an IV and he had a breathing cannula hooked into his nose to help him breathe. He just looked weak, weaker than Tony had ever seen him before. Even when his mama had gotten sick when he was very little, he still had some energy to move around.

“Tony,” Steve purred weakly, smiling when he saw his pup. The brunet hurried over and set the books down on the table before leaning over to kiss his mama’s cheek.

“Mama, you’re awake,” he murmured, purring louder. He nuzzled the blond’s cheek before sitting down in the chair beside the bed.

“Of course I’m awake,” the older omega told him, some snark lacing his tired voice. “I’ll be better before you know it, Tones.”

“You better. I brought your sketchbook and charcoals,” Tony told him, changing the subject.

“Tones,” Bucky murmured softly, a warning in his voice. He didn’t like his mate straining himself doing anything.

“Oh shut up, Bucky,” Steve grouched, frowning at his alpha before turning back to their older pup. “Hand over the book.”

Tony giggled and gave him the sketchbook along with a charcoal pencil. He grabbed one of the coloring books and spread it out on his own lap, picking a picture and starting to color in the lines.

A couple hours later, Loki showed up with Peter and Morgan.

“Loki, Peter,” Steve said with a warm smile on his face, reaching out for his youngest pup and son-in-law. The pair went over to the blond and Tony took Morgan’s leash, scratching behind the old dog’s ears affectionately. Loki kissed Steve’s cheek affectionately before giving his omega a pointed look.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop forgetting Morgan at home?”

“I’m at the hospital, I figure if I have a seizure, there’s plenty of doctors and nurses around,” Tony told him with a smile and a shrug. He grinned when Loki reached over to tickle his omega.

“When are you two gonna make me a grandma?” Steve asked, pulling back from pressing kisses to Peter’s face.

“Mama-”

“Jesus, Stevie,” Bucky said, laughing.

“I deserve grandchildren, Bucky. Harley ain’t gonna settle down anytime soon so it’s up to you two,” the blond told them with a weak laugh. He fell into a coughing fit and that sobered everyone up.

“Take it easy, Stevie,” the brunet alpha murmured, his brow furrowed worriedly.

“I’m- fine-” Steve coughed out, taking a rasping breath when the fit ended. “You should all go.”

“Mama,” Peter whimpered, tears in his eyes.

“I’m fine, Petey, just go with Tony and Loki. I bet you have homework,” the blond rasped, his smile gone. Tony and Loki stood up and packed up their things, the black-haired alpha taking Morgan’s leash and the brunet omega taking his brother’s hand and leading him out.

Once they were all gone, Steve looked down at his hands and quietly gripped the sheets.

“Steve…”

“No, Buck. I just- I don’t know if I’m going to get better,” the omega murmured to his mate, avoiding his eyes. “Maybe we should get our lawyer involved. Heaven knows I haven’t done anything with my will in years.”

“Do not talk like that,” Bucky growled, reaching over and resting a hand over his mate’s. “Steve, yer not gonna die. Stop talkin’ like you are.”

“Bucky, one day...one day I’m not gonna be here anymore. Whether it’s tomorrow or ten years from now, we both need to be prepared to be without each other one day,” Steve told him firmly, finally looking his mate in the eye. “Alright? And we need to prepare our pups for that too. No one lives forever.”

Bucky slowly nodded his head, tears gathered in his eyes as he squeezed his omega’s hands gently. He sniffled and pulled one hand back to wipe at his eyes. His shoulders shuddered as he choked back a sob.

“Just- Just- Goddammit, punk. You keep fightin’, okay? I’m a selfish bastard and I want every second I can have with you.”

-

“Think I can convince you to take a lunch break?” Loki rumbled as he came up behind Tony, wrapping his arms around his mate from behind and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. The omega was sitting in the R&D Lab in Stark Industries working on the latest update for the Starkphone.

“Depends, are you planning to bribe me with a milkshake?” Tony asked with a grin, turning to look up at his alpha.

“Oh, you ask for far too much. Come on, Anthony,” the alpha murmured, smiling as the omega saved his work and stood up. He took his mate’s hand and they left the lab together, heading out of the giant skyscraper and out onto the streets of New York. They made their way to a nice diner and sat down.

“So what’s the occasion?” Tony asked with a smile, glancing at his mate over his menu.

“I can’t just want to take my mate to lunch?” Loki asked back, a smirk playing on his lips. The brunet giggled and brushed his foot against the older man’s shin. “I wanted to talk to you about something. Something we discussed a few weeks ago.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

The alpha smiled warmly and pulled a file out of his bag, placing it on the table between them. Tony eyed the file curiously and pulled it close, opening it up. He read over the papers inside quietly, his eyes getting wider the more he read.

“Is this- Did you-?”

“Get us approved to be adoptive parents, yes,” Loki rumbled, reaching over and taking his mate’s hand in his. “Just like we talked about.”

“Oh Lokes,” Tony breathed, grinning so big his face was starting to hurt. “Oh dammit, I’m gonna cry.”

“Whenever you’re ready to start looking, we’ll go,” the alpha murmured.

Tony opened his mouth to respond and was met with the scent of sharp mint and sandalwood, immediately rendering him speechless. His mate’s brow furrowed slightly, obviously catching the same scent and both looked over as Stephen walked by.

“Stephen, how unexpected,” the omega greeted, a warm smile on his face.

“Tony, it’s nice to see you again,” Stephen greeted, smiling wide when he saw the omega. His smile faltered slightly when he saw Loki and then his nostrils flared slightly. “Who’s this?”

“Loki, my mate.”

“A pleasure, Stephen,” Loki said, reaching out a hand. The taller alpha took his hand and Loki pulled him closer, shocking Tony and Stephen both. “What do we smell like?”

“Loki,” Tony hissed, his face turning red from embarrassment.

“Cinnamon, soldering iron,” the taller alpha murmured, looking at Tony. He looked at Loki next. “Fresh snow and basil.”

“Would you like to have lunch with us?” Loki asked now, smiling up at the doctor.

-

Peter sighed softly as he waited in the principal’s office, picking at the hem of his shirt as he waited for whichever family member was coming to get him. He doubted it would be his dad since he spent most of his time at the hospital with his mom. The door opened and Tony came in, smiling at the principal.

“Sorry I took so long, you know how traffic is in New York,” the omega said, sitting down in the chair next to his brother.

“It’s quite alright, I was actually expecting Peter’s father.”

“He is at the hospital with our mother so I came instead. I’m acting as Peter’s guardian in the meantime,” Tony explained, setting his bag down by his feet. “So what’s going on?”

“Peter assaulted another student today, an alpha boy named Eugene,” the principal told Tony, giving Peter a disapproving frown. “The boy had to go home with a broken nose. Peter refuses to give a reason why.”

“Peter,” Tony said, turning his attention to the teenager. “You want to tell us now that I’m here?”

The younger omega shook his head, keeping his eyes downcast and his mouth shut. He kept fiddling with the hem of his shirt nervously. The principal sighed softly and shook his head.

“Well in that case, Peter is suspended for the rest of the week. He may return on Monday,” the beta man told Tony, who nodded his head.

“Alright. Let’s go, Peter,” Tony said firmly, grabbing his bag and standing up. Peter stood up and followed after his brother. They stopped at his locker to grab his things and then went out to Tony’s car. The pair drove back to the house in silence and when they went inside, the teenager immediately tried to escape to his room.

Tony grabbed his wrist and pulled him back, giving him a look.

“I know that it’s hard right now but that’s no excuse to go around punching other kids.”

“It’s- It’s not that,” Peter whimpered, pulling his wrist away from his brother. “Or not entirely. Tones, that kid? Flash? He’s such an asshole to me and he was saying the shittiest things to me. He said something about mama so I decked him.”

“Oh Petey,” the older brunet sighed, wrapping his arms around him and pulling the younger into a tight hug.

“I want him to come home,” the teen whined, sobbing into his brother’s chest.

“I know, Petey, I want him to come home too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Two updates in two days? What's going on?? It's probably because I'm home for the weekend and I am procrastinating on doing my homework. Whoops?  
Anyway, enjoy a little more angst as I keep you all dangling on a hook with whether or not Steve's gonna go or not!
> 
> ...Did I tease you all with some FrostIronStrange? Hmm...


End file.
